Monday, September 27, 2010

More progress shots

The trivets that I have weren't quite large enough for this piece, so I grabbed some wire at Lowes and improvised. It worked like a charm!

Remember my question about building a little oven around my torch firing area? Well, a fellow Etsy Metal member came through with an answer, as usual. Maria of Fluxplay linked to her coffee can kiln and gave me instructions for constructing one. I love her theory of keeping costs down and making due with what is available and cheap!

This one is still a work in progress and didn't do the trick the way it is. I did read in the Rio catalog to preheat the beehive kiln for 30 minutes. After doing that and firing this piece for 10 minutes it was all smooth and pretty. There are some impurities in the white enamel still, I imagine from torch firing. I plan to stone it down and give the enamel a matte finish anyways, so I'm not worried about the spots.

I do still have to figure out how to set the enamel portion in the pendant and am playing around with different ideas.

Here is another piece that I am working on. I put together these white stones one day and came up with a pendant design around them. I plan to enamel the copper and then tube rivet it floating above the bezel backing. I think it will be really nice.

About Me

I grew up in a family of crafts people, with a fiber artist mother and a woodworking father. My maternal grandparents were also both crafty, always making things and tending garden. This family, with a make it yourself attitude, and home filled with handmade objects and furnishings has had a lifelong impact on me. While I no longer have time for much jewelry making I continue to find creative outlets via sewing, knitting, baking, gardening and so on. I love to share my creative endeavors with you.